The Long Way Down
by FrostyFeelings
Summary: Trust no one. Not even yourself.
1. Chapter 1

The sun dipped low behind the pine trees along the crest of the hills and the only sound that could be heard was the water falling peacefully over the rocks in a nearby creek. No birds, no crickets, no coyotes wailing woefully into the Georgia twilight. The world had changed in the blink of an eye. But she had not. She kept on living the way she had before the world had gone to shit. The fireplace crackled inside the cabin that she had made her refuge. Her grandfather had been kind when he left it to her and not her unthankful brother and his slut of a wife. She had no idea where they were now. Dead or alive? Her heart was at war with itself. Half of her wanted to hop in the Jeep and make like a hornet towards Northeastern Tennessee. The other half said, "Fuck 'em. They left you for dead on the side of the road." Right now, the second half was winning. She turned to make her way back inside the cabin when a twig snap and the unmistakable smell of decaying flesh wafted its way to her nose. Backing up into the door frame, she reached up to grab the shotgun that hung above the door inside. She stood and listened for a few seconds before warily making her way out into the woods surrounding the cabin. Every few feet, she would stop and listen again, waiting to hear the groaning and gurgling. The stench got stronger to the west, but she heard no noise. She was about to give up and head back towards the cabin when a glimpse of something creeping through the underbrush parallel to her position, caught her eye. Then, the stench thickened even more. There was a walker just 60 feet from whatever was creeping in the woods. She took aim at the walker but paused when she heard a muffled groan coming from the underbrush. It was a person. A live one! The part of her heart that screamed for her to go back to Tennessee took over without asking her and she took aim again. The shotgun slug whistled through the air and connected with the walker's skull before blasting through the other side in a splatter of brain matter and bone. She stood and listened for more walkers before proceeding towards the human lying in the brush. She came upon a man lying on his back drifting in and out of consciousness. She bent down over him and tried to assess his current condition. He had a big gash on the side of his head and a puncture wound in his side. His blue eyes darted across her face before closing and passing out finally. Just inches from his outstretched hand, a crossbow sat in the dead leaves cocked but not loaded. He was far too big for her to pick up and carry back to the cabin so she settled on dragging him on a makeshift stretcher made from an old quilt in the back of the Jeep. She tried to be as gentle as possible when moving him onto the quilt but it was impossible to be gentle and efficient in this situation. It took her the better part of an hour to drag him into the cabin and onto the cot where she normally slept. After cleaning his head and face, she gingerly stripped him of his shirt soaked in blood and set to work patching up the puncture wound in his side. Her hands worked deftly to sew up the hole with a needle and thread. He came around once while she did this, just groaning before passing out again. Her sewing skills weren't great but they were good enough to patch the wound. Normally, she would never aid another human being like this. She would provide directions, water, sometimes food but never drag an injured man into her home and fix him up. A part of her that she thought that she had lost long ago kicked in when she saw the man lying in the woods. Three hours passed before he stirred again, waking her from the incessant pull of sleep as she sat in the ancient rocking chair next to the fireplace. The man bolted upright in the cot, coughing and spluttering. She rose from the chair and handed him a glass of water. He didn't even look at her as she handed it to him. He downed the whole glass in one gulp and lay back down and went to sleep. She stood and stared at him for a second as he slept. Her thoughts took her back to the summer that she worked at a 4H farm in Abingdon, Virginia. That was the summer that she lost her virginity to a boy with blue eyes from Johnson City. His name was Clint and it was horrible. Things were awkward for the rest of the summer between them and they never saw each other again.

There was no more fresh meat in the cabin so she would have to leave the man alone for a while at dawn so she could hunt something for him to eat. She still didn't know why she was going out of her way for a stranger like this. But nonetheless, they both needed to eat. She sat back in the rocking chair and watched the seconds tick by on the clock on the wall until she finally let sleep consume her. At dawn she awoke to the man still sleeping peacefully. She checked his wounds again and bathed his face and head with water. He smelled like he hadn't washed in a while. That would be issue number two to discuss after breakfast. She took the .22 rifle out of the gun cabinet and headed out to find something for breakfast. She turned and looked at the man again before closing the door behind her.

An hour and a half later, she had bagged 3 squirrels and a scrawny rabbit. She would let him decide what he wanted. As she neared the cabin, something didn't feel right. She put the feeling away chalking it up to the fact that there was a strange man sleeping in her bed. She stashed the kill away in an old cooler on the porch before opening the door. She looked around the cabin and her eyes settled on the empty cot near the window. In a split second there was a knife to her throat and a muscled, dirty arm wrapped around her chest. Without thinking, she stomped down hard on his foot and elbowed him in the stomach. The knife dropped to the floor with a clang and the man bent over whining.

"Is this how you treat people that try to help you?" She asked angrily.

"How the fuck am I supposed to know who you are?" He said through coughs while clutching his side.

"Sit down before you pull those stitches."

He scoffed at her but did as he was told and sat back down on the cot.

"Where the hell am I?"

"You're about 15 miles north of Jasper."

"Fuck, I'm two days ride from the farm."

She milled about the cabin gathering the things she needed to cook the squirrels and rabbit. She tried to ignore him the best she could as he muttered something about a farm but it was hard to ignore the half-naked man sitting on her bed. He wasn't unpleasant to look at but he wasn't conventionally good looking either.

"Hey, little girl. I asked you a question."

Before he had time to react a coffee mug went flying through the air and just grazed past his left ear.

"What the fuck was that for?" He screamed at her.

"I have a name."

"Well then what is it?" He asked sneering at her.

"June."

"June? Like the bug?"

"No, like the month."

"Ok, June. What happened to me? And where is my bow?"

"A walker almost got ya out there. Your bow is on the porch."

She gathered up the cans of veggies from the cabinet and took them outside to the campfire where she cooked the meals. The man's eyes followed her until she could only be seen through the window. June was kicking herself now for helping the man whose name she still didn't know. She started the fire and took the prey out of the cooler before heading back inside. She held up the string of rodents for him to see.

"What do you want? Squirrel or rabbit?"

"Squirrel." He replied gruffly.

She nodded and went outside to gut and clean the 3 squirrels. He followed her outside and leaned against the door frame and watched her. His eyes burned into her as she worked.

"Daryl." He was all he said after about 3 minutes in silence.

"Daryl? As in Hannah or Hall?"

"As in Dixon. Daryl Dixon."

"Humph…well Daryl you smell like manure. There's some soap on that stump over there and a creek down there." She motioned to the right of the cabin. "This should be ready in about an hour."

He let out a big sigh and headed towards the stump and creek.

"And don't do anything stupid like pulling out those fucking stitches!" She called after him.

After putting the squirrel meat into the pot to cook, her curiosity got the better of her. She crept down to the creek but stayed out of sight as he washed. He stood naked in the knee deep water trying to wash his back. It had been a long time since she had seen another human let alone a man. Her carnal urges were trying to break through the tough walls that she had built around herself. After a few minutes more of watching the man bathe she headed back towards the cabin. Once inside, she looked at herself in the mirror her grandmother had hung on the wall almost 40 years ago. She wasn't pretty, at least not in the way 90% of the male population would appreciate. Her turquoise eyes were too big for the rest of her face, her teeth were crooked and she had a generous sprinkling of light brown freckles across her nose and cheeks. Her red hair was full of tangles and was falling out of the loose bun that she had coiled it into. She then looked down at the dirty jeans full of holes and the old tank top that was now threadbare and full of holes. The longer she looked in the mirror, the angrier she got at herself and the world. She let out an angry breath and took the mirror off of the wall and hurled it into the wood shed out back. The mirror broke into a thousand tiny pieces and she immediately felt bad for destroying her grandmother's mirror. Her guilt retreated as she heard Daryl coming through the trees.

"What was that noise?" He called to her.

"Nothing." She said sharply.

"Hey, can I trouble you for a shirt or something?" He asked sounding genuine.

"Yeah, hold on."

She went inside the cabin and rifled through an old dresser in the back bedroom. She came back outside and produced an old work shirt that must have belonged to her grandfather.

"Thanks."

"Yeah."

He turned around and put the shirt on.

"Sorry about the knife thing earlier."

"It's fine. Sorry about the elbow in the gut thing earlier."

"Its fine." He stared out at the woods in silence for a minute.

She stared at his back while she fed the fire.

"In a couple of more days, after your wounds heal and the threat of infection has passed, I'll take you back where you came from. What were you doing out there anyways?"

A long silence passed before he replied.

"I was tracking a little girl."

She looked at him a little surprised. She had never thought about him being out there to help someone else.

"Go inside and rest. I'll bring you a bowl when it's done."

He turned and went inside the cabin without another look in her direction. As he passed the threshold he picked up his crossbow she had leaned against the cabin. Once the stew was finished, she ladled the man up a bowl and took it to him inside. When she handed it to him, his fingertips brushed hers and lingered a little longer than what was considered polite. He looked up at her with sapphire eyes until she turned and left him to eat. She turned to head back outside when he stopped her.

"Aint ya gonna eat?" He asked through a southern drawl.

"I don't eat squirrel." She replied and headed down to the creek to bathe.

June let the cool water rinse the dirt and grime out of her hair and off of her body under the canopy of trees that shaded the creek. She tried to untangle the rat's nest of her hair with her fingers but decided to give up and look for a comb back at the cabin. After finishing off the bowl of squirrel stew, the man stood out on the porch and looked around. He heard a soft humming coming from the direction of the creek and followed it. He knelt quietly behind an old oak tree and spied on the woman that had saved his life. She sat on a rock scrubbing the dirt from between her toes and continued to hum a song he didn't know. He couldn't remember the last time he had been alone with a woman with for an extended amount of time with the possibility of getting laid. She hopped off the rock and bent down to wet her hair. He crept closer trying to be as silent as possible but when he did a twig snapped under his boot. The woman whipped her head up and stood stock still listening to the woods around her.

"Shit." He mouthed to himself behind the tree.

Luckily she didn't spot him and went back to washing her hair. He had decided that he had stayed long enough and went back to the cabin.

She knew that he had been watching her down in the creek from behind the ancient oak tree. She wasn't sure what to think of him anymore. The only interaction they had had was somewhat civil in nature. He came off as rude and uncomfortable around other people but not a threat to her life. What if he was planning on raping her and feeding her to the walkers? She knew that she couldn't trust him and wanted him out of her home as soon as possible. She was stupid for thinking that she could actually have a friendly relationship with anyone, especially nowadays. Her thoughts drifted back to earlier that morning when she had watched him in the creek herself. She felt like an idiot now, spying on the man. She was a grown woman acting like a horny teenager. He was a man after all and all men were the same when it came down to sex. A low rumbling of thunder in the distance broke through her thoughts and she was brought back to the here and now. She started to dress and pack up her stuff as the dark clouds began to roll in. Hurriedly, she stored what she could on the porch before it started to rain. The rest of her day was ruined thanks to the storm. She couldn't go into the nearby town and raid the pharmacy for drugs and the stores for other supplies. In the downpour, her Jeep wouldn't make it down the side of the mountain without sliding. She was now forced to stay in the cabin and tolerate Daryl. She stuck a 9 mm Beretta in her waistband and covered her shirt to hide it when she thought that he wasn't looking. Once inside, she went to the back of the cabin and searched for the elusive brush or comb she knew must be hiding in one of the old dresser drawers. The bedroom had been her grandparents and she didn't have the courage to sleep in the bed knowing that her brother had fed them to the walkers and she had done nothing. Her brother Ted had said that they were a liability to everyone else's well-being and left them for walkerbait at their home in Bristol. Ted had lied to her and told her that they chose to stay just so she would go quietly and tell them how to get to the Georgia cabin. June's grandfather only trusted her with the exact location of the cabin. When it was clear to Ted and Karen that June was not going to tell them where the cabin was, they pushed her out of the truck 40 miles south of the Tennessee/Georgia state line to die.

After searching for the wayward comb for about 10 minutes she finally found it under a dress that had not been touched in years. She didn't want to disturb the past and searched no longer in the dresser drawers. It took another 10 minutes to get the plastic comb through the unruly snarls of red hair. Once it seemed like she had gotten it all untangled she paused and pictured herself in her mind having broken the only known mirror in the house. She decided that she looked ridiculous and immediately piled her hair in a lopsided bun atop her head.

She turned around towards the door when she was startled to see Daryl leaned up against the doorframe watching her through heavy lidded eyes.

"Holy shit! How long have you been there?"

"Long enough to know that you've got somethin' to hide out here."

"I don't know what the fuck you're talking about Dixon."

She tried to get past him but he blocked her way and pushed her back into the room. His eyes never left hers as he reached around her waist and pulled up the back of her shirt.

"Then what are you hiding this for?" He asked as he dropped the 9 mm in her hands.

He then turned and left. June plopped down on the old bed and a cloud of dust erupted around her. How had he known about the gun? Wasn't she careful enough? Guess not.

The rest of the day, she sat on the porch swing and read her copy of The Man in the Iron Mask for what seemed like the 100th time while Daryl slept the day away. After about 3 hours of tedium the uncomfortable silence between the two of them became too much for her to handle so she went out to the barn out back and fiddled with whatever she could find to keep her hands busy. The rain was beating down on the tin roof of the barn like bullets from a machine gun. After 20 minutes of organizing the hardware in the toolbox, Daryl appeared at her side with his arms crossed and a look of disdain on his face.

"You're supposed to be resting. What do you want?" She asked not looking up from the workbench.

"Just wondering why you went out of your way to help me. That's all."

"Moment of weakness, I guess."

"Listen, I don't trust no one. Not even pretty girls out in the woods that save my life."

"Good, cus I don't trust you neither."

"Now that we got that outta the way, how did you come by a sweet set up like this?"

"None of your damn business. Who is the little girl to you?"

"She's the daughter of…someone in our group." He stumbled over the word "friend". Daryl had no friends. Just Merle.

"Group? What do ya mean?"

"Met up with a group of survivors outside Atlanta a while back. Been with 'em ever since."

"Humph…where did you come from before the outbreak?" Her hands shook with nervousness as she tried to piece the hand drill back together for the 5th time.

"Nowhere. Give me that piece of shit. You're doing it wrong."

He took the drill from her hands and placed everything in its proper place in the mechanism.

"There. Was that so hard?"

She ignored him and went back to organizing the nuts, bolts and screws on the workbench.

"What about you? You from around here?"

"No."She didn't want him to know too much about her. He could use it against her.

"Listen, I'm trying to be friendly here. If you want me to leave now, I will. I don't need a nursemaid to take care of me."

"Cant, you'll die out there and attract more walkers than I care to deal with." The silence between them thickened again and Daryl gave up and started for the door.

"Bristol." She said not looking up.

He stopped and turned around.

"Bristol? Bristol where?"

"Bristol, Tennessee. That's where I came from before the outbreak."

She turned her head to look at him and he nodded before heading back out into the rain. Her heart was at war with itself again. This time it wasn't fighting over whether or not to go back and look for her brother and sister in law. Now it was at war with itself over whether or not to trust the stranger that she had saved.

The rain wouldn't give up. It beat down on the cabin roof like an angry giant looking for something to eat. What had once been a peaceful creek was now an angry torrent. The yard was ankle deep in muck. There was no way they were getting out of here today and probably not tomorrow either. She had elected to sleep on the porch swing and leave the bed and warmth to Daryl. She would get by, it wouldn't be the first time she had slept outside and it certainly wouldn't be the last. At about 11:00 that night she fell asleep as the rain poured down around her on the porch. The two of them hadn't said much to each other since their time in the barn. She had reheated the rest of the stew on the fireplace and roasted the rabbit for herself. Daryl had found a piece of wood to whittle at while she sat outside and read until the lamplight hurt her eyes. When she woke up the next morning the quilt from her grandparent's bed covered her. She couldn't remember getting up to get it in the night. Because she hadn't. It must have been Daryl. She opened up the door and saw that the cot was empty and his crossbow was gone. He must have left while she was still asleep. She hoped that he was gone for good. This is always how things went for her. She was left alone again in the cabin. This is how things should be. People can hurt so she wouldn't let them get too close. As she was folding up the quilt, something caught her eye. She walked over to the mantle and picked up an object that had not been there before. She turned the crudely carved figurine in her hands and couldn't help but smile. It was a deer. He had carved her a deer. She delicately placed the figurine back on the mantelpiece where she had found it and started to get ready for the day.

The rain barrels that stood on the outskirts of the yard were full so there was no need to go down to the creek to wash today. It wouldn't have made a difference anyways. It was still raining. She filled the galvanized buckets with rain water and took them onto the porch when she heard branches breaking to her left. She scrambled for the shotgun and stood on the porch aiming it into the woods. Emerging through the trees came Daryl dragging a doe behind him by the legs. Leaning the shotgun against the front of the cabin, June hurried out into the rain to help him drag the dead animal into the barn. Once inside Daryl sat down on an old bucket and let out an exasperated sigh.

"I guess you didn't get my message did ya?" He asked still trying to calm his breathing.

"I got it. I just didn't know what it meant. I thought you had taken off for good."

"Nah just went to get something to eat. Help me get this bitch up here."

He pulled down a hook on a chain and waited for her to finish binding the animal's legs. After heaving the doe onto the hook Daryl took over and started to gut and clean the kill. June made herself scarce and went back into the cabin to stoke the fire. She couldn't help but glance up periodically at the wooden deer sitting on the mantle. She was stunned that he had actually come back. She had already mentally prepared herself for him to be gone so when she saw him dragging the doe through the woods she was in a state of shock. An hour later, he stood on the porch and kicked his muddy boots off outside the door. His hands and arms were covered in the deer's blood and a bloody streak stretched from his temple to his cheek where he wiped his face without thinking. He stood inside the door and thrust a chunk of meat at her. After taking the meat from him she picked up the deer figurine from the mantle.

"Thank you. It's beautiful."

"Nah, it weren't nothin'. I would've written ya a note but I couldn't find a pen and paper. And I didn't want to wake ya either."

"Oh." She said dejected and feeling stupid for reading so much into the carving. She placed it back on the mantle, this time not so carefully.

"You're filthy again. Can you not go a day without getting dirty?"

He looked like a kicked puppy when she met his eyes. She had wounded him without meaning to. He was trying to be humble about the carving but it didn't come out right either. To him, the carving was like flowers and the deer was like going to a fancy restaurant. He did it to be nice. He began to head for the door when she stopped him.

"Wait, you don't have to go down to the creek. You would probably get washed away anyways. Just hand me that bucket of water on the porch, will ya?" She didn't have the same anger in her voice this time when she asked him a question. Daryl obediently handed her the bucket of water from the porch and watched her pour it into a pot hanging above the fire. They stood in silence for a moment and watched the fire pop and crackle. She dipped a ladle into the pot and poured some of the water into a bowl and handed him a rag to wash his hands and arms. He sat down at the table next to the fire and started to clean himself. June went about her business and lit a lamp for him. When she set the lamp down on the table, he looked up at her with the smear of blood still on his face.

"You, uh…missed a spot on your face."

He quickly began to rub the rag harshly on the opposite side of his face from the blood.

"Did I get it?"

"No."

"Damn, aint ya got a mirror in this place?"

Her thoughts went back to when she destroyed her grandmother's mirror and she immediately felt guilty again.

"Sorry." Was the only reply she could muster.

She took the rag from him and asked, "May I?" He simply nodded. She apprehensively turned his face up and towards the light of the fire and began to rub gently with the rag on the bloodstain. He kept his eyes from hers for as long as he could until she tilted his head towards her again. Her hand stopped and they just stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity until the sizzle of the deer meat catapulted them back into reality.

"There, I think I got it." She turned to take the meat off the fire and let out the breath that she had been holding. He grunted and said, "Thank you." meekly but honestly. After plating up the meat, they sat down across from each other at the table and ate in silence yet again. Their eyes glanced towards each other periodically but never met. Neither of them was comfortable with another human being. After clearing the plates away June cautiously approached Daryl while he sat in the rocking chair on the porch.

"I…uh, need to check your stitches. Is that ok?"

"Yeah, you're the one that patched me up."

He followed her inside, took off his shirt and stood near the fire waiting for her. She knelt down and gently touched the thread that held him together. Her hands weren't soft but they weren't like sandpaper either. She poked and pushed at the skin around the stitches looking for any pus pockets that may have formed. His skin was like fire under her cold hands. She continued to check the stitches when his hand covered hers and held it. June looked up at him and a shiver ran down her spine and arms. Her fear of him was consuming her and all she could see was malevolence in his eyes. She wasn't sure what to think now. She was scared and intrigued by him all at the same time. June wasn't the type to back down from a fight or mince words when it came down to what she wanted. The carnal urge inside of her was bubbling up like lava through the rocks. She was about to reach up and unbuckle his belt when a loud crash outside startled the both of them and she pulled her hand back. They both whipped their heads towards the door and listened when another crash came.

"The deer." She said.

She scrambled to the gun cabinet and threw another 12 gauge at him and took hers off of the hook above the door. The two of them bolted for the barn to find 4 walkers devouring what was left of the deer carcass. They took aim and both fired shots until all 4 were down.

"Fuck! It took me 3 damn hours to track that deer and another 2 to drag its ass back here!" He yelled before kicking an empty gas can against the barn.

"Well, what the fuck are you standing around for? Get me a shovel and some gloves!" He screamed.

"Hey, let's get one thing straight, right here right now! This is not your home. You don't live here. I do. You will not under any circumstances ever dictate how things are done around here. You will respect me and my property! Ya got that Dixon?" She got just inches from his face and wouldn't back down. They stood toe to toe for a minute before he broke down and said what was on his mind for the last few days.

"Yeah, I got it. But I'm not the one hiding out here in the woods in a cabin that belonged someone else. Did ya kill the son of a bitch who owned this place or did ya just feed him to the walkers? Is that why ya saved my ass June? Cuz you were feelin' bad about killing whoever owned this place?" He mocked her and went too far. It took everything she had to hold herself back from punching him in the gut and kicking him in the balls. She simply snorted and turned on her heel and headed back to the cabin.

"Hey! What about the fuckin' shovel and gloves?" He yelled after her.

"Find it yourself dickhead!" She screamed back at him over her shoulder.

Once inside June slammed the door shut and headed straight for the bottle of Jack Daniels hidden in the back of the potato bin. She took a huge gulp and let the whiskey fuel her hatred. He was right in a way. She was stupid enough to believe Ted when he told her that their grandparents chose to stay. She had sentenced them to their death and then took the only thing that they had. She never went back to the house to tell them goodbye. She never asked them what they wanted. She just went along with what Ted and Karen said until she realized 40 miles south of the state line that they were lying to her all along. But it was time to face her guilt. She slowly tip toed down the hall and opened the door to her grandparents bedroom. The musty smells of mothballs and her grandmother's perfume mingled and danced around her nostrils. June had never spent time in this room unless she had to. She never lay down on the bed to relax or go through her grandparents things just for fun. The room was haunted to her. She took another swig of whiskey and cautiously took another step inside the room before closing the door behind her. Another sip, another step, another sip, another step. This went on and on until she sat down in the far corner of the room and finished off the last of the bottle. June leaned her head back and yowled an ear piercing scream that even the thunder couldn't consume. Then, after months of suppression, she finally cried.

In the barn, Daryl was dragging the last of the walkers into the pit he had dug out when he heard a scream coming from the cabin. He bolted for the house but stopped short of the doorway. He stopped and listened for a moment before heading towards the back bedroom. Putting his ear to the door, he listened to June sob inside. He had no idea how to deal with this or even if he wanted to deal with this. He chose to let her be and wallow in her own misery. On his way back outside he noticed the open potato bin and took a look inside. Another bottle of Jack Daniels was nestled in between the potatoes so he helped himself to a swig. And then another, and another when his eyes fell on the deer figurine on the mantle. In a fit of whiskey fueled rage he picked up the figurine and threw it into the fire. He watched for a moment as the flames consumed the tiny piece of wood until it was nothing more than ash. Tucking the bottle of whiskey in his back pocket he went back out to the barn to finish what he had started.

Hours that seemed like days passed until June let sleep take hold of her. She couldn't cry anymore. When she awoke, her throat was raw and her back hurt from lying on the wooden floor. The rain continued to beat on the roof but the rest of the cabin was silent. She walked out into the main room and immediately noticed that the deer was gone. She gave a silent chuckle to the darkness and stepped out onto the porch. She looked towards the barn and noticed the light from an oil lamp peeking out from between the slats of wood. Her sob session in the bedroom gave her enough courage to march up to Daryl Dixon and tell him what was what. He needed to leave as soon as possible.

She boldly kicked the barn door open and looked at him like a lioness hunting a gazelle. Her hands shook as she walked towards him and the hairs on the back of her neck stood up the closer she got to the man sitting on the bucket. He didn't even look at her when she stood next to him.

"Ya done cryin' like a little baby?" He asked.

"Get your stuff together. Rain or shine tomorrow, I'm takin' you down the mountain and droppin' your ass off at the main road."

And with that she turned and went back to the cabin to lie in her grandparent's bed and get a good night's sleep. But sleep did not come. When the clock in the main room struck 1:00 in the morning she gave in and climbed out of bed. It wasn't until she noticed that Daryl was not on the cot that she also noticed the rain had finally stopped. She stepped outside onto the porch and looked up at the sky. No clouds covered the billions of stars blanketing the heavens above.


	2. Chapter 2

The woods were quiet as usual except for the sound of the water rushing over the rocks in the now swollen creek. June bit her lip and looked towards the barn with wariness. She allowed herself to go out on a very shaky limb and followed where her feet took her. Her arms itched with anticipation the closer she got to the barn and she could feel the little beads of sweat rolling down her spine. Once she got to the door, she peered through the slats of wood. She could make out his figure bent over the ancient gas generator at the back of the barn. The thing hadn't run in probably 30 years. She would be impressed if he could get the thing working again. After mustering up her last little bit of courage, she opened the door and stepped inside. He looked over his shoulder at her for a second before turning back to the generator. She stood behind him and put her hand, gently on his shoulder. He dropped the wrench he was holding and turned around to face her.

"I need your help with something. Can you give me a boost?" She asked. He didn't answer her, just nodded and followed her to one of the horse stalls. She stood in the far corner and waited for him to crouch down and help her up. She stepped into his cupped hands and reached up into the rafters. When she stepped back down she held and old coffee can in her hands.

"So whats in there?" He asked her.

"I quit smoking after the outbreak. Seemed stupid to die of lung cancer while other people were gettin' eaten. But, being who I am, I stashed these here in case of emergencies."

June pulled out a pack of Marlboro Lights and lit one with the zippo also in the coffee can.

"Want one?" She asked and held the pack out to him. He hesitantly took one from the pack and stuck it in his mouth. She held the zippo out to him and waited for him to step closer to take it. When he did, he snatched it from her hand and turned to light his cigarette.

"So what's the emergency?" He asked.

"You." She answered back slowly and with downcast eyes.

They stared at each other for a second before he looked away uncomfortably. She broke the awkward silence.

"I see you found the treasure at the bottom of the potato bin." She said.

"The what?" He asked confused.

"That's what my grandpa used to call it when he would hide his shine in the bottom of the potato bin. He would tell me, 'Junebug, go over there and find your Papaw the treasure at the bottom of the potato bin.' So, I would go over and root around for his mason jar full of moonshine and he would always give me a piece of candy when I brought it to him. He had to hide it from Grandma cuz she didn't like him drinkin' around us kids. " She recollected on the past with a smile before it faded into a far away look that Daryl couldn't place.

"So do I get a piece of candy now or what?" He asked her with a hint of a smile.

"Maybe." She answered.

"My great-granddad was a bootlegger. He ran shine from here to Memphis during the thirties. My granddad told me that he ran into Babyface Nelson outside of Mobile once and he paid him off with 20 jars of homemade shine and a box of chewing tobacco."

"Wow, impressive. Mama was a travelin' nurse and one time she had a family come down off the mountain to see her and they had no money for anything so they gave her homemade blackberry moonshine. Burned like hell." She laughed a little before meeting Daryl's gaze again.

"Im sorry about what I said earlier. About you makin' walkerbait outta whoever owned this place. That wasn't right of me."

"This place belonged to my grandparents. They came out here every summer til my granddad had a stroke back in '98 and they couldn't travel anymore. After that my Dad came out every once in a while to hunt and check on the place. After he died in '04 my Uncle Ron came and boarded the place up. "

"So you grew up here?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that. Spent every summer here til I was 10. My granddad left it to me before he…" She trailed off and got that far off look in her eyes again. That awkward silence was back again and she wouldn't look at him.

He cleared his throat and jilted her out of whatever dark place she had gone to.

"Ya got any brothers or sisters?" He asked.

"Yeah, an older brother. Ted is a piece of shit and I sure as hell don't miss him. What about you Dixon?"

"I got an older brother. Merle, hes all I got left and I don't even know if he's alive or dead out there."

Daryl stubbed out his cigarette on his boot heel and flicked the butt into the corner of the stall before waving her over to follow him to the generator. She followed him over to the behemoth piece of antiquated machinery.

"I think I got it workin'. You wanna do the honors?" He asked. She reached her hand out to pull the choke cord and pulled with all her strength until the hulking piece of metal spluttered to life. She looked up at him with a beaming smile and he returned it to her in his own way. He reached over to shut it off and took the bottle of Jack Daniels out of his back pocket and took a swig. He handed her the bottle without asking and she took a long drink of her own.

"My Uncle Ron spent 4 months trying to get this thing started and it only took you a few hours. I must say Dixon, you're a man of many talents. Walker killer, hunter, wooden deer carver, generator fixer. Is there anything you cant do?"

"Yeah, sing."He said with a hint of a laugh.

"I bet you could even do that if you tried hard enough. Or got drunk enough."She laughed.

June looked back at the generator and returned to the dark place that Daryl could not enter.

"What ya thinkin' 'bout June?" He asked her almost forcefully.

"Nothing." She turned around and headed for the door.

"If its nothing then why do you get that look on your face whenever I bring up your family?"

"What look? I don't know what the fuck your talkin' about."

She continued to walk out of the barn and into the yard with him following after her.

"That look that says I did something bad and I don't want to think about it ever again so Im gonna try to run from it for the rest of my life."

June stopped short in the middle of the yard and turned around to face him.

"You really wanna know what happened Dixon?"

"Yeah, I do."

"Ok fine. When the outbreak hit Bristol, my brother, his wife and me holed up with my grandparents until things got real bad. My granddad told me he wanted to go to the cabin cuz he thought it would be safer. Me and Ted were so little last time we were here, we didn't know how to get here but my granddad would only tell me. He didn't trust Ted and Karen. When Ted found out that I knew how to get here he made what he called, 'an executive decision' at 2 A.M. one night. He came and got me out of bed and told me that we were leaving cuz grandma and grandpa wanted to keep us safe and that we should go to the cabin in Georgia. Ted wouldn't let me tell them goodbye. He said that it would just be too hard for them and that they loved us. And like the fuckin' idiot I am, I believed him. When we hit Nashville I knew something was wrong and started leadin' them on a wild goose chase. When we got to the state line, Ted and Karen had enough and pushed me out of the truck and drove off. I spent 3 weeks on foot tryin' to get here til I boosted the Jeep and raided a few stores for the guns, ammo and supplies. There, now you know Daryl. That's my deep dark secret. I left the only people that still loved me to die on their own in a farmhouse in Bristol, Tennessee."

After her speech, June was breathing heavily but not because of how hard it was to tell Daryl the truth. She was breathing heavy because of the weight taken off of her shoulders by recounting her story to someone besides the trees. Daryl just stood and stared at her with his heavy lidded gaze. All of a sudden, he grabbed the back of her neck and kissed her hard. She didn't fight off the kiss but wouldn't buckle under his forceful lips. She broke free from him and gave him a punch in the gut that sent him falling backwards into the mud. June stomped off into the woods and down to the creek. Sitting on a rock next to the water she took off her shoes and socks and dipped her toes into the icy cold water. She was angry. She was angry at Daryl for kissing her, she was angry at Ted and Karen for lying to her, leaving her grandparents for dead, leaving her for dead on the side of the road. But, most of all she was angry at herself. The rage that had been boiling in her gut for the last 6 months was about to overflow. And it was going to scald and burn whoever set her off.

June raised a tentative finger to her lips when she heard the snap of twigs and the crunch of leaves under boot heels. He definitely had balls, she would give him that. Her right hand slowly reached for the knife on her hip. He was probably 30 feet away to her left. Keeping as still as possible, she fingered the cool bone handle and laid it on her thigh until she thought that he was close enough. When she heard another twig snap, this time closer to her she took her chance and threw the knife as hard as she could near the sound. The knife hit the old oak tree and stuck in the trunk with a thud.

"Girl, your aim sucks. I was 15 feet to your right." Daryl's Georgia drawl came creeping out of the dark along with the body it inhabited. He pulled the knife out of the tree and set it down next to her on the rock.

"Well aint ya gonna say anything?" He asked.

He was met only with silence from June. She continued to stare down at the water intently like a prospector looking for gold.

"June?"He asked again, this time with more concern.

June twisted around to look up at him before grabbing her boots and knife and winding her way around him back to the trail that led to the cabin.


	3. Chapter 3

She got to the porch of the cabin and slammed the door shut behind her. June knew that Daryl was still following her and wouldn't stand outside and wait for her to invite him inside. Her insides were boiling now and she wouldn't be surprised if she saw smoke coming out of her nostrils. She paced around the room like a trapped wolf in a cage. 'How had things gotten so out of hand?' she asked herself. Daryl slowly pushed the door open and stepped inside. He looked like a coiled rattlesnake getting ready to strike. June stood stock still in the middle of the room and stared at the apparition coming closer to her. She held her breath for what seemed like forever. When he finally stood toe to toe with her, the air was still and not a sound could be heard for miles.

"Turn around." He said with commanding authority.

June wasn't sure if it was fear or curiosity that made her turn her back to Daryl. He reached up, with dirty fingers and uncoiled the lopsided bun that June normally tied her copper red hair into and let the pins fall to the wooden floor. Daryl put his hands on her shoulders and turned her back around to face him before pulling June into another forceful kiss that had her standing on her tip toes and hoping that it would never end. Clawing at his chest, she finally got the tiny buttons undone as he got her shirt off her shoulders. Their hands worked furiously to get each others pants off before Daryl pushed her up against the rough wood beams of the wall. The tiny splinters of wood dug into June's soft flesh as he pushed her harder against the wall. Her legs ached and her back stung from the amount of tension that had been built up to this moment. When they both had gotten their fill, panting and sweating, Daryl stepped back from June and awkwardly put his pants back on.

"What just happened?" She asked him in disbelief.

"Christ, don't tell me you've never fucked anyone before?" He said throwing his hands up.

"While I appreciate your musings pertaining to my virginity, it has been quite awhile since I was an untouched, untainted flower." She replied with her hand on her hip.

"Are you speakin' another language or somethin'?" He asked confused.

"Nevermind, lets just not talk anymore about it." She answered defeated.

After getting dressed again, June walked out onto the porch where Daryl sat lounging in the rocking chair underneath a blanket.

"You can have the bed ya know?" She said.

"Nah, I would rather sleep out here tonight. What time are we leavin' in the mornin'?"

June couldn't understand the man at all. She knew better than to read too much into sex but this was just ridiculous to her. She wasn't interested in cuddling or anything like that, she was never the cuddling type.

"Just be ready when I am." She said as she stomped back into the cabin. June wasn't afraid to go into her grandparents room anymore so she decided to sleep there for the night underneath the safety of the quilt.

At 7:00 the next morning, June awoke from the first good nights sleep she had had since the outbreak. She stared up at the ceiling and watched the dust dance in the sunshine streaming through the window above her. It was time to go back to the way things were before. It was time to be rid of Daryl Dixon and all of his mood swings and temper tantrums and clear blue eyes…She trailed off in her thoughts until she was reminded of how he had been driving her insane since that day in the woods. She dragged herself out of bed and into the front room, only to be met with a near naked Daryl Dixon rummaging around in the cabinets.

"You have no decency do you?" She asked him curtly.

Not even turning around to look at her Daryl answered, "Thought after last night it would be kind of dumb to get all shy around each other."

June rolled her eyes and sat down at the table.

"What are you doing anyways?" She asked trying not look at him.

"Lookin' for some coffee. Ya got any?"

"No, your little romp with the walkers in the woods forced me to push back my daily trip to Starbucks." She answered sarcastically. It was definitely time to get rid of Daryl Dixon.

"Whatever." He said before slamming the cabinet doors shut.

June just watched as Daryl pulled his boots on and walked outside. As June rummaged through dresser drawers for clothes an eerie feeling crept its way into her thoughts whispering that something bad was about to happen. She ignored the whispers and taunts and made her way down to the creek to bathe. While washing, June would periodically glance over at the old oak tree secretly hoping to catch a glance of Daryl spying on her again. But he wasn't there. When she got back to the cabin, Daryl sat perched on the hood of her Jeep waiting for her to return.

"You ready yet?" He asked fingering the fletching on one of his arrows.

"Yeah, since day one." She answered, her words full of ice.

June went into the cabin and grabbed her 12 gauge off the hooks and threw it into the backseat of the Jeep before leaving. Daryl didn't speak or even give her a sideways glance the whole way down the mountain. When they reached the main road, June shut off the engine and waited for Daryl to say something, anything.

"Well, here you are." Was all that she could think to say.

"Yeah, thanks for patching me up and stuff." Daryl said as he stared straight ahead.

She would not let him get under her skin.

"Your welcome."

Daryl hopped out of the Jeep without another word and slammed the door shut. She watched him walk down the road through the mangled mess of cars until he was just a speck. June was about to turn the key when the unmistakable sound of a shotgun being cocked behind her head made her lift her hands in submission.

"How ya been little sister?" said a familiar voice with an East Tennessee twang.


	4. Chapter 4

June's heart stopped and she was fighting a losing battle to breathe. She shifted her gaze to the rear view window and met her brother's hateful green eyes. He looked terrible, he was gaunt and he had a cut running down his left cheek.

"Well ain't ya got a how to do for your only brother?" Ted asked sneering.

"Where's Karen?" June replied.

"Karen? Karen? Oh yes, I put a bullet in her gut outside of La Fayette and left her to the damned when I realized she was hoarding food. Dumb bitch aint doin' nothin' now but munchin' on skin."

June eyed her shotgun in the backseat and her fingers itched for the trigger.

"I can see you little sister." Ted said as he shook the gun back and forth.

"What happened to your face?" She asked trying to diffuse the situation and change the subject.

"Ah, it aint nothin'. Got it fightin' off some kid tryin' to steal some water out of the back of my truck. But you're lookin' like you've been doin' good June. Up there in granddad's cabin all cozy and safe. " Ted said with a sarcastic emphasis.

"What do you want Ted?" She asked.

"Don't play stupid June. Now, take me to the cabin and no funny business this time. There better not be anyone else up there with ya. Speaking of, who was the fag with the crossbow?" Ted asked tilting the gun in the direction Daryl had walked in.

"No one, just a guy who needed some directions." June replied praying that Ted would not question her any further about Daryl.

Daryl got about half a mile down the road when he got a sour feeling in his stomach like he had eaten something rotten. He turned and looked down the road to see June's Jeep still parked in the middle of the highway and a man standing next to the driver's side door with a 12 gauge pointed at her. He backtracked and crouched down next to a car to watch what was happening. June didn't move for what seemed like forever. The man holding the gun hopped into the passenger's seat of the car and June gunned the accelerator back up the mountain. 'Something aint right here.' Daryl thought to himself. He ran as fast as he could back up the mountain to the cabin. He knew it would take a while to get up there but he didn't like the look of the man with the shotgun. Reminded him too much of his father.

On the way up the mountain, Ted started to ramble on about how good it will be to get back to the "family homestead" and that the first thing he expects is a meal on the table. June kept quiet and just kept driving. They pulled into the yard 30 minutes later and June continued to eye her shotgun.

"Woo hooo! Damn it feels good to be back!" Ted hollered as he hopped out of the Jeep.

"You're here. Now what Ted?" June asked.

"I'll tell you what little sister," Ted walked over and grabbed her before punching her in the stomach and kicking her again when she fell to the ground, "you gotta learn your fuckin' place here. This is my house." Ted walked away from her crumpled form and grabbed her shotgun out of the back seat.

"Just in case you think about goin' and doin' somethin' stupid." Ted mocked as he strolled non-chalantly into the cabin.

June lay on the muddy ground coughing and clutching her stomach when she noticed that there was blood in her hand. She spit the rest of the iron tasting gore out onto the ground and got to her feet unsteadily. June staggered into the cabin and saw that Ted had made himself comfortable in the rocking chair next to the fireplace. His feet were propped up on the table as he inspected each and every gun that she had in the gun cabinet.

"These are some nice pieces Junebug. But you won't be needin' em anymore. Skirts don't hold guns in my house. Now get on out to that fire and start cookin' me up somethin' for dinner." Ted said with the most chauvinistic tone he could produce. June started to walk out to the fire when Ted stopped her.

"And June, remember you left grandma and granddad to die in Bristol. Not me."He said and smiled a malevolent grin. June refused to let Ted get to her about their grandparents. She gave up and went outside to start the fire.

Daryl wound his way up the trails quickly until he had to take a break and rest beneath a stand of oak trees. Breathing heavy he looked up into the trees and wondered why the hell he was still doing this. It was a matter of debt.

June sat next to the fire staring off into the distance and pondering how she was going to make it out of this alive. She thought that she saw something creeping through the woods by the Jeep but it was probably nothing. The smoke from the fire was making her eyes water and she began to rub them when Ted bellowed from the porch.

"June! What the fuck is this?" Ted yelled, holding up Daryl's torn shirt from the day she found him. June couldn't move.

"It's nothin' Ted. Just some rags." She stammered.

"This is a man's shirt with blood all over it. You had someone up here! It was that crossbow fag! You brought him into my house!" Ted screamed.

"Ted, he was hurt. I took care of him 'til he could get on. It's fine Ted." June said stumbling over every other word with fear.

That was the last thing that Ted wanted to hear. He came bounding off of the porch and grabbed June by the back of the shirt and reached back to hit her in the face. When his fist connected with her jaw, June saw stars for a second before her survival instincts kicked in and she started kicking wildly. Her right foot joined with Ted's shin but it didn't take him down. She continued to take body shots from Ted until her foot found his groin and she kicked like a mule. The kick didn't take him down but it surprised him and he loosened his grip on her shirt. June ran like a bat out of hell into the woods with blood streaming down her face and Ted hot on her heels. She had almost gotten to the creek when a shot rang out and a searing pain shot through her left shoulder. When the bullet hit her, June pitched forward and fell into the creek bed, hitting her head on a rock on the way down. She lay in the creek with the water rushing past her as she tried to stay conscious. Her eyes closed for a moment and when she opened them again, Ted was standing over her with a 9mm pointed at her head.

Ted smiled before another shot was fired and blood sprayed all over her face before he fell to the creek bed next to her. Daryl jumped down into the creek and pushed Ted's dead body off of June.

"June?" He asked with genuine concern.

"Dixon, what the fuck?" She asked just barely coherent.

"Yeah, I know. Get the fuck off your mountain, right?" He joked.

June felt sleepy and wanted to close her eyes but when she tried Daryl shook her awake.

"Ya gotta stay awake little girl. Come on let's get you outta here." Daryl said as he lifted her gingerly from the water.

"Fuck you Daryl." June slurred.

"Aww, come on now. Ya don't have to go and get all sentimental on me." He laughed while trying to traverse the creek bed to a section where he could climb out with her easily. Daryl eased his way out of the creek bed and up to the trail that ran to the cabin.

"Hey June, you ever been to Kennesaw Mountain? It's beautiful this time of year. All the flowers bloomin' and stuff." Daryl said, trying to keep her coherent.

"No, you ever been to Bays Mountain?" She replied slowly.

"Can't say I have."

"I would like to throw you off of Bays Mountain right now."

"Girl, you're lucky you gotta bullet in your shoulder cuz I would drop you if you didn't."

"Maybe you should lay off the squirrel Dixon. I had a hell of a time draggin' your ass through…" June trailed off with closing eyes.

"Wake up now girl." Daryl said, shaking her again. He stumbled through the woods and got her to the cabin's front yard before placing her gently into the front seat of the Jeep. Daryl couldn't patch June up the way that she had for him. He had to get her to Herschel's farm.

June's arm was going numb and her eyes kept crossing every time she tried to look to her left. She must've looked like hell because Daryl kept asking her the weirdest questions.

"What was your favorite food?" Daryl asked as he floored the Jeep and they sped down the trail off the mountain.

"I like Pal's."

"Pal's? What the hell is that shit?"

"A burger place in Bristol. Used to make somethin' called a sauceburger." She garbled.

"Sounds fuckin' nasty."

"So is your face." She giggled dumbly. The laughter got caught in her throat and she started to cough up blood wildly. Daryl grabbed her right hand and squeezed it until the coughing fit subsided. He wasn't sure what more he could do for her.

"Ya gotta stay awake June. Tell me about Bristol. Tell me about the house you grew up in and what ya used to do for fun so I can give you shit about it." Daryl continued to coax her into consciousness.

"We lived in a two story house that my great-great-great grandfather built. It had white shutters and a green roof. Mama had a flower garden in the front yard and won the Best Garden award 4 years in a row. There were pine and oak and birch trees all around. Daddy built me a swing for the big oak out front."

"Sounds nice. Hell of a lot nicer than the shithole that I grew up in."

"It was nice. Mama used to stand in the kitchen for hours makin' cookies for me to take school for Christmas. My granddad taught me how to shoot…" June trailed off again closing her eyes.

"June! June! Wake up June!" Daryl screamed at her.

They were still 40 miles from the farm.


	5. Chapter 5

Daryl continued to scream June's name over the roar of the Jeep's engine but his efforts were in vain. June was slumped over in the passenger's seat next to him not moving for anyone. When his voice was raw and scratchy, Daryl reached over and pinched June's thigh to try to wake her. She stirred slightly and her eyes fluttered open for a moment.

"June! Wake your ass up! Don't fall asleep again!" He roared.

"Dixon you're not bad in bed ya know." June slurred.

"Damn, girl you must've really hurt yourself. You're talkin' all crazy." Daryl laughed.

"Dixon you are a piece of work. I know you were spying on me down at the creek. You're a perv." June continued to garble.

"Now you're startin' to make sense again."

"I guess that makes me a perv too."

"Why do ya say that?"

"Cuz I spied on you too. You gotta nice ass." June said in muddled speech.

"You are a perv June." Daryl replied a little embarrassed at the jumbled compliment.

A few minutes later, Daryl came racing down the drive into Herschel's yard.

"Daryl, where the hell have you been?" Shane yelled before Daryl even got out of the Jeep. Daryl ignored Shane as he got out of the car and fished June out of the car in a heap of blood and dirt.

"Who the hell is she?" Shane asked irritated.

"Someone who needs help. Herschel!" Daryl screamed.

The rest of the group began to show up as Daryl ran up the steps of the farmhouse. Daryl bolted into the house screaming for Herschel with June still cradled in his arms.

"What happened here?" Herschel asked as Daryl laid June on the bed.

"She hit her head pretty bad and she's gotta bullet in her shoulder."

"She's lost a lot of blood. Do you know her blood type?" Herschel asked assessing her wounds.

"I don't fuckin' know! Just fix her!" Daryl yelled.

"Alright boy, go get Lori. She's got O+ blood. That should work for now." Herschel commanded.

"No, I aint leavin'." Daryl said.

Herschel looked at Daryl with an irritated glance before calling for Maggie to go get Lori's blood transfusion ready. June was a mess of bruises and blood and didn't even look alive until Daryl saw her chest rise slowly. Lori came in a few minutes later with Maggie and began to get prepped for the transfusion.

"What happened to her Daryl?" Lori asked as Maggie swabbed her arm.

"Her brother beat the shit out of her before tryin' to kill her. That's what happened to her." Daryl snapped.

"So that's where you've been the last four days. Did you find any trace of Sophia?" Lori asked tentatively.

"No. Just her." Daryl said looking down at June's battered face. Her red hair was matted with blood and there was more gore smeared across her face where Ted had hit her and she hit her head.

"Who is she?" Maggie asked quietly.

"Just a girl who saved my life." Daryl replied.

Herschel returned with the tools needed to dig the 9mm bullet out of June's shoulder and eyed Daryl suspiciously.

"You need to leave. I can't have you around while I'm tryin' to do this." Herschel slowly said to Daryl.

Daryl got up unhurriedly before grabbing June's hand and giving it a light squeeze and walking outside into the yard. Shane and Rick were waiting for him near June's Jeep.

"What the fuck was that Dixon?" Shane asked again.

"None of your damn business. "Daryl retorted.

"Now, Daryl calm down. Just tell us what happened. Did you find anything on Sophia?"

"I got lost goin up North of Jasper. Fell down into a river bed and got hurt. Drug my ass out and nearly got bit if it weren't for her. She patched me up and took care of me til I was alright. And no, I didn't find anything on Sophia." Daryl replied with an angry glance at Shane.

"You do that to her, Dixon?" Shane asked not hiding his contempt. Shane set off Daryl's hair trigger temper and immediately reached out to grab Shane and beat him into the dirt. Unfortunately, Rick was there to hold Daryl back as usual.

"I should kill you right now motherfucker!" Daryl screamed while still struggling to get free of Rick.

"Shane, go back to the R.V. and see if Dale needs any help doing anything." Rick said trying to defuse the fight. Daryl continued to struggle in Rick's grip until Shane was well out of sight. Finding no reason to stick around any longer, Daryl stomped off to the horse barn and released his pent up rage on the posts holding up the structure. When he had finally lost the will to damage his knuckles any further he sat down in an empty stall and let out a weary breath. His hands were shaking when he grabbed a handful of hay and started to rip each piece in half. He wished he could do that to Shane.

When Herschel had finished working on June, he walked out onto the porch to give the report to the rest of the group.

"She'll live. She's lucky Daryl got her here when he did. Another 20 minutes and she would probably be in a coma right now. She's under heavy sedation and a morphine drip. Does anyone know who she is?" Herschel asked the clan. Everyone shook their heads and Rick looked towards the barn.

"Daryl just said that she had patched him up after getting lost lookin' for Sophia. He didn't even tell us her name." Rick replied.

"Do you know when she'll wake up?" Carol said stepping out from behind Andrea and Glenn.

"Tomorrow hopefully. But only time will tell." Herschel said before going back inside.

"Did he find anything on Sophia?" Carol asked laying a hand on Rick's shoulder.

"No."Rick replied solemnly.

"Ok, I'll go talk to him." Carol said with a defeated tone.

Carol walked into the horse barn to find Daryl shredding hay in an empty stall and dried blood all over his knuckles. She approached him cautiously knowing that he was in a bad mood but she had no fear of him lashing out at her like her now dead husband Ed used to do.

"She's gonna be alright Daryl. Herschel said that she was lucky you got her here when you did." Carol said. Daryl didn't say anything or even look up at her. Carol knelt down next to him in the hay and picked up a few pieces of hay of her own to shred.

"Do ya know her name at least?" She asked.

"Her name's June." Was all that he said.

"You saved that girl's life Daryl. She could've died if it weren't for you." Carol said emphatically.

Daryl was silent again still pulling apart the pieces of hay.

"Do ya know who did this to her?" Carol pushed further.

"Her bullshit brother." He replied still not looking up.

"Where's her brother now?" She asked.

"Dead." He answered before getting up and stalking off towards June's Jeep still parked in the front yard. Daryl grabbed his crossbow out of the backseat and took off towards the woods without another word to anyone. Carol walked out of the barn and stood near Dale's R.V. where the rest of the group sat pondering about the events of the day.

"Did you talk to him?" Glenn asked.

"Her name's June. He said that it was her brother that did that to her." Carol said watching Daryl disappear into the trees.

That night June didn't wake up. The next morning she still didn't wake and Daryl still wasn't back. Lori and Carol sat vigil at June's bedside until that afternoon when they both needed to get some air and rest. When the sun began to play with the colors of the leaves on the trees in the front yard June awoke with a start and looked at her surroundings. She was in an unfamiliar place, she had to get out of there. Looking down at her shoulder, she tried to twist it but the jolt of pain the movement created put her in so much misery she almost passed out again. Using her other hand she reached up to touch the stitches at the back of her head but stopped when she heard footsteps on the hardwood floor and two strange female voices. June was disoriented and hurt but she wanted to get out of there and go back to the cabin. Ripping the I.V. out of her arm June willed herself to get out of the bed and ran for the door. June launched herself out of the bedroom and nearly knocked over Maggie and Carol in the process. She ran for the first door leading to the outside that she saw. June went flailing and screaming from the house in a fit of panic when Rick came running out of the house with Carol and Maggie right behind him. The others stood staring at the display in front of them as June clambered into her Jeep and yelling about her keys and that she needed to go home.

"June just calm down we're not gonna hurt ya. I'm Rick and this is Herschel Greene's house. He saved your life. No one here is gonna hurt ya. But you need to rest." Rick said to the crazed woman in his best suicide jumper voice.

"Where are my keys? I wanna go home! I have to get out of here! Where are my keys?" June screamed through frightened sobs. She was so scared that she didn't even notice that she was wearing nothing but an oversized t-shirt someone must have put on her while she was unconscious. Daryl came striding out of the woods with a couple of squirrels on his belt when he heard June screaming and wailing. He sprinted towards the farmhouse and dropped his crossbow and kill in the field. When he got a clear view of what was going on, June was pacing in circles like a caged animal and threatening to kill whoever got close to her with a .380 Ruger from her glove box.

"I just want to go home! I don't know you! Get the fuck away from me or I will shoot you in the fucking head!" She screamed every time that Rick or anyone else tried to get closer to her.

Without a moment's notice, Daryl marched up behind June and unceremoniously picked her up from where she stood, kicking and screaming the entire time. Again, Daryl kicked open the screen door and took her back to the bedroom. Seeing the commotion, Herschel ran and got a dose of sedative ready in a syringe and followed Daryl to the bedroom. As soon as Daryl let June's feet touch the floor she tried to run again. Daryl grabbed the back of her shirt and pulled her to him before picking her up and dropping her on the bed. He grabbed her wrists and pushed down on her not allowing her to move while Herschel got the syringe ready.

"Get the fuck off of me! I want to go home! I will kill you Dixon! I will fucking kill you!" June screamed in Daryl's face.

"I'd like to see you try June. Your aim sucks, remember? Now settle your ass down!" Daryl said to her just a hairsbreadth from her nose.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhh! Why are you doing this to me?" She screamed back at him.

June continued to squirm under Daryl while Herschel unsuccessfully tried to inject her with the sedative. June continued to scream in a panic filled rage.

"You're gonna have to keep her still. I can't get to her with her squirmin' like this." Herschel said to Daryl.

Daryl looked down at a screaming June and did the only thing that he could think of to keep her still. He kissed her until she stayed still long enough for Herschel to administer the dosage. He continued to kiss her until her lips softened and she fell asleep. He looked down at her sleeping peacefully and climbed off of the bed. Rick and Shane had come in at some point and stood open mouthed in awe at what had just happened. Herschel gave Daryl the same surprised look.

"What the fuck is everyone starin' at? I kept her still didn't I ?" Daryl said embarrassed as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

Daryl sauntered out onto the front porch and took up residence in one of the rocking chairs until Rick came up to him, still looking surprised.

"How well do you know this girl, Daryl?" Rick asked leaning against the wooden post.

"Not well." Daryl said refusing to look Rick in the eye.

"Could've fooled me. Now tell me exactly what happened to her and who she is." Rick said.

Daryl recounted the events of the last 4 days but left out the part about sleeping with June. Rick stayed quiet while he spoke and kept his opinions of the situation to himself. This was the most that Daryl had spoken to anyone in the camp and he didn't want to interrupt him. Daryl spoke with his hands a lot when he was talking about something that mattered to him and his hands were on fire right now.

"So that's what happened?" Rick finally asked when it appeared that Daryl was done talking.

"Yeah that's what fuckin' happened." Daryl said looking out into sunset.

"Well, you gonna take her back to the cabin?" Rick asked.

"I guess. If that's what she wants." Daryl replied.

Herschel came out onto the porch and cast a speculative eye on Daryl before saying, " She's asleep. For now. But that sedative will only last about 2 and a half hours. You need to be in there when she wakes up."

Daryl looked up at Herschel but said nothing and walked into the house. He eased open the bedroom door and peered in before walking in and sitting in the chair next to her bed. Daryl watched June's eyelids flutter while she dreamed about something. Her left eye was light purple and her lip was still swollen from the punch she took in the mouth from Ted. Daryl lifted a hand to touch the hair that was matted with sweat but pulled it back in case he might break her. He had never seen her look so fragile. Even all bloodied and broken in the creek she looked better than she did now. Daryl sat back in the chair and let out an exasperated breath while he waited for the sedative to wear off.

An hour later June's hand twitched a little bit and her eyes slowly opened.

"Daryl?" June asked looking over at him.

"Yeah June. Im here." He replied.

June continued to look around confused until her eyes met Daryl's. They continued to look at each other but said nothing until Daryl broke the silence.

"You're a crazy ass bitch." He said.

June, still looking confused let out a breath and stared up at the ceiling waiting for him to finish the thought, but he stayed silent.

He was leaned back in the chair with his fingers rubbing his upper lip and chin, staring down at the same spot on the bed where June's hand lay. He stayed like that for a long time when he abruptly stood up and gave her a kiss on the forehead. He started to walk to the door when he stopped.

"By the way, you smell like manure." And with that he left the room.

Yet again, June was utterly baffled by Daryl. She continued to stare up at the ceiling until Carol poked her head into the room.

"June? How are you doing?" Carol asked.

"Im ok." June replied.

"Can I get you anything?"

"Can I take a shower?" June asked wrinkling her nose.

"I'll see what we can do about getting you cleaned up. Do you want anything to drink or eat?" Carol asked.

"Yeah water and food would be great. Thanks…uhhh. I'm sorry, I don't know your name." June apologized.

"Its ok. Im Carol."

"Thank you Carol. And I'm sorry about earlier."

"It's alright. Daryl told me that it was your brother who did this to you. I understand." Carol said placing a hand on June's leg. Carol's eyes said that she really did understand. June could see that this woman had been through hell long before the outbreak. She didn't know why but she felt like she could connect with Carol.

That night, June barely slept and what sleep she did get was fitful and hot. She hauled herself out of the bed and walked over to the window facing the fields. In the distance before the treeline of the woods, June could see a lone figure sitting on the roof of a pick up truck. She didn't need any light to know that it was Daryl. She honestly was tied up in knots over Daryl Dixon and they weren't the good kind. His mood swings were worse than that of a 15 year old girl and the things he said were sometimes incomprehensible. Her eyes drifted to a far off mountain and June immediately felt homesick for her safe and cozy cabin. She was cut off from the rest of the world for a long time even before the outbreak.

The next morning her request of a shower was granted and she relished in the fact that she actually got to use shampoo and conditioner and not a brick of homemade lye soap. The water numbed the ache in her shoulder and head as it pounded down on her. The towels were soft and smelled like lilacs. Wiping the condensation off the mirror, June was shocked at the ghostly figure that stared back at her. Her eyes were purple, there was a 3 inch line of black stitches that ran down the left side of her head and her bottom lip looked like she was trying to imitate a chipmunk. June felt like she should have taken pride in the way that she looked before because she was Cindy Crawford then compared to what she looked like now. June walked out of the bathroom to find that someone had left a change of clothes for her on the bed. She picked up the worn button-up shirt and held it up to look at it. It looked like a man's shirt and it was 3 sizes too big. After dressing, June meandered out into the front yard to find that four of them were sitting around the RV talking. She walked up to them apprehensively.

"Umm…Hi. I just want to apologize for the way I acted yesterday. I don't normally freak out like that."

"That's alright. You've been through a lot. Would you like some coffee?" Dale asked.

"Yeah, thanks." June replied.

Dale stood up and directed her to take his seat. June kept her eyes down, still too embarrassed to look anyone else in the eye. The woman with blonde hair kept giving her suspicious glances. The Asian kid seemed intrigued by her and the African American guy was engulfed in his coffee.

"Here ya go. By the way, I'm Dale and this is Andrea, Glenn and T-Dog." Dale said gesturing to the others.

"Hi, Im June." She said feeling out of place.

"Yeah, we know who you are." Andrea said before getting up and walking away seeming irritated.

"She's not in the best of moods today." Dale said to June.

"It's alright. I wouldn't be either if I had some crazy chick point a gun at me." June said sipping her coffee.

"So, where did you come from June? I mean before all of this." Dale asked waving his hand in the air.

"Tennessee." June replied solemnly. She didn't want these people to know too much about her. If they did, they might think that she would do to them what she did to her own family. This Dale guy reminded her of her Uncle Ronnie though.

"Tennessee? I used to hunt up in the Cookeville area. You know it?"Dale asked.

"Yeah, I had a cousin that went to school there." June replied. She hadn't seen Rachel for 3 years. She knew she was dead now.

A pretty woman with dark hair walked up to the group and grabbed a laundry basket off of the picnic table.

"How are you feeling?" She asked.

"Im alright." June replied vaguely recognizing the womans face.

"Good. Im Lori. Rick is my husband and our boy is Carl over there." Lori said gesturing to a little boy with dark hair watching another man with a shaved head work on a car.

"I remember Rick. Im sorry about yesterday." She said.

"It's alright. We understand." Lori said before taking the clothes to a makeshift clothesline where Carol was standing already hanging up the wash. When Carol saw her, she smiled and gave her a friendly wave. June felt strange being around so many people, she couldn't remember the last time that she was. Her eyes scanned every which way for any sign that Daryl might be around. Dale's voice interrupted her thoughts.

"He's out looking for Carol's daughter Sophia and hunting." He said without looking up from his coffee cup.

"Oh. How did she get lost?" June asked trying to appear as if she didn't care whether Daryl was there or not.

Dale related the events that led up to the group coming to Herschel's farm with sidebar commentary by Glenn from time to time. T-Dog grunted and put in his two cents every once in a while too before getting up and walking off. June listened intently to the heroics of Daryl, Rick and Shane like a child listening to a story for the very first time. She now had a little more respect for Daryl after hearing about how he had saved T-Dogs life from the herd of walkers on the highway. Every time that Dale would mention Shane though, he got a look on his face like he had just eaten something sour. June got the impression that Shane was not everyone's favourite person right now. She heard the screen door slam from the house and a cute girl with short brown hair walked out and over to her at the RV.

"My granddad says that you need to lay down and rest for a while." The girl said to June.

"Ok, I will…uhhh." June said racking her brain for the girls name.

"Maggie." She said before giving Glenn a lust filled glance.

"Sorry Maggie. I'll be in soon." June replied.

The rest of the day June laid on her back staring at the ceiling wondering about what was supposed to happen next. She really wanted to go back home to the cabin and live until she died either by walkers or a self inflicted gunshot wound. Maggie, Carol and Lori came in periodically throughout the day to check on her but she would've rather been left alone. She found a book in the bedside table and started to read just to keep her mind off things. June decided that after she healed she would go back to the cabin. But she kept feeling like it would be running away again. These people weren't so bad really. Except for that Andrea woman. June got the feeling that she didn't appreciate other women being around. Maybe she didn't like June because she felt like Daryl belonged to her and here he comes waltzing out of the woods with her. What if she had interrupted their relationship? What if what happened at the cabin was him cheating on Andrea? What if she was nothing more than a quick fuck?

June continued to question why Andrea didn't like her and why Daryl was so quick to get away from her now. She came to the conclusion that Andrea didn't have anything against June personally she was just a bitch in general and that Daryl had never slept with her. Let alone been in a relationship. After Maggie had brought her some dinner and it seemed like everyone else had gone to sleep, June continued to read until her curiousity got the better of her and she got up and looked out the window. Again, she could see Daryl's figure perched on the roof of a truck out in the field. June argued with herself whether or not she should go out there and talk to him. After about 15 minutes of debate, she gave in and got dressed. Trying to be as silent as possible, June crept out of the farm house and out to the field.


	7. Chapter 7

June stood behind the truck and watched Daryl for a moment before making anymore progress forward.

"Aint you supposed to be restin'?" He asked without turning around.

"Aren't you supposed to be sleeping?" She asked back just to egg him on.

June climbed up onto the truck bed clumsily because of her bad shoulder. Daryl didn't offer any help to her. She would've just ignored it anyways.

"What are you doin' out here anyways?" She asked nudging him with her good elbow to scoot over.

"Mindin' my own business. How 'bout yourself?" He replied sarcastically. June ignored his comment and tried to focus her eyes on whatever he was looking at in the distance. The trees swayed softly in the July breeze and cicadas were still singing like there was no tomorrow.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry about freaking out the other day. I don't know what happened. And I wanted to say thank you for bringing me here. You saved my life." She said trying to get him to look at her. He continued to stare off into the distance.

"What did you do before all of this?" He asked her out of nowhere.

"What do you mean?"

"What was your life like? Where did you work? Who were your friends? What kind of car did you drive?" He asked turning to her. She wasn't sure what to think when his eyes met hers. He was asking her strange questions again. He wasn't trying to keep her conscious this time. He was just talking.

"Well, I worked a lot of different jobs. I worked in the office of a construction company, I worked at a grocery store as a checker, I stocked shelves at Wal-Mart. I drove an '86 Chevy Silverado with blue paint and a nasty interior." She rattled off the information that she had stored up in her head so that she wouldn't forget her life before the outbreak.

"Hummph…sounds like a busy life. What about friends?"

"I didn't really have many friends. Just some people I would go drink with every once in a while. Everyone I knew from high school went to college, got married, had kids. I didn't."

"Did ya play sports or anything?" He continued to drill her.

"No, high school wasn't good for me."

"It's not good for most people unless ya got money. What about your parents?"

"My mama ran off with the preacher from the First Baptist Church when I was 9. I never saw her after that. She never came home, never wrote, never called. Nothing. "

"What about your dad?"

"He was a drunk. Him and Ted used to take turns beatin' on me until I got big enough to run away and eventually pull a gun on them. My daddy wasn't all bad, he was just messed up after mama left him. He always took care of us the best he could. That's why I stayed with my grandparents most of the time. He died a month before the outbreak of liver failure." June twisted her fingers around her hands as she recounted the moments of her life. She didn't even notice that Daryl stared intently at her the entire time.

"What's your name?" He asked her.

"You know my name. "

"The rest of your name." He asked again leaning in closer to her.

"June Carter Mason." She said pulling back from him.

"As in…?"

"The very same. Daddy was in love with her before he met mama. They went fishin' and stuff together a lot. The Carter's only lived about 3 miles from my grandparents."

"So, did ya ever meet Johnny Cash?" Daryl asked looking back out at the treeline.

June didn't like all of the questions that Daryl was asking her. She didn't like him prying into her past. She got the distinct feeling that he was drilling her for a certain reason. June abruptly clambered down from the truck roof and jumped off onto the ground heading straight for the house. As she passed the group of tents where the others slept, she noticed that Shane was leaned up against a tree near the house.

"Hey there. How are you feelin'?" Shane asked as he picked at his fingernails.

"I'm ok." June said trying to hurry up and get in the house.

"I'm Shane." He said sticking out his hand as she passed.

"June." She replied, hesitantly putting her hand in his.

"Ya know he's crazy right?"

"Who's crazy?" She asked genuinely confused.

"Dixon. He's a certified nutcase."

"Well, then I guess that I'm in good company. Us crazy people gotta stick together ya know." She retorted before going back in the house.

Shane gave June an uneasy feeling. Like that queasiness you get when you look down onto the street from the top floor of a parking garage. She felt his eyes burn into the back of her head as she walked away and she was almost certain that he muttered something under his breath as she opened the screen door. The wooden floors creaked and groaned as June tried to stealthily tip toe her way into the house. Once she was back in the safety of her borrowed room, June lay naked under the cool sheets of the bed and listened to the wind whisper to the trees through the open window. Her mind raced to think of any reason Daryl might have to extract information from her. There was a soft murmur of a voice that drifted through the open window that made June sit straight up in bed, not caring about modesty. She covered herself with the sheet and walked towards the window to find Daryl standing on tiptoe.

"What do you want now Dixon?" June asked irritation flooding her voice.

"Stay away from Shane. He aint like Rick. He's startin' to go loco, if you know what I mean. "

"Really? He said much the same of you."

"Fuck 'em. Just steer clear of him." Daryl said.

"Whatever." June replied before turning and climbing back into the bed.

Daryl lingered just a moment longer to place an object on the windowsill. June drifted off into a restless sleep and woke the next morning to the sound of roosters crowing the rising of the sun. As she started to dress, something caught June's eye. She walked over to the window and picked up a violet carved from wood. She knew what he was thinking.

After breakfast, June helped out anywhere on the farm that she was needed with Maggie's ever watchful eyes making sure that she didn't strain or injure herself any further. But, June could feel another set of eyes constantly glaring at her. Shane never seemed to be far from wherever June was working. She tried the best she could to ignore him but it was hard to get away from him and not draw attention to herself. Daryl spent most of the day working on Merle's motorcycle and watching Shane watch her.

June was hanging clothes on the line with Carol when Shane finally got called away to help Rick and Dale with the RV.

"Carol, what do you think about Shane?" June asked trying to appear nonchalant.

"Oh, I don't know. Shane seems to be a good guy but he's been moody ever since Otis died. He just cant seem to shake what happened."

"What happened?"

"Otis and Shane went to the high school to get the equipment Herschel needed to help Carl. Shane said that Otis got overrun and the walkers got to him before Shane could help him. Ever since then, I don't know. That's been haunting him ever since."

June glanced over at Daryl who was already looking at her. His eyes shifted towards the horse barn as he made the gesture of looking down at a wrist watch and then nodded twice. It was a code: horse barn two o' clock tonight. June nodded back in comprehension. When June turned back to continue hanging clothes, Shane , Rick and Dale walked past. Shane stared June down the entire time as he passed. Daryl saw the exchange as well and gruffly dropped his tools and made way for his truck. "Two o'clock cant come soon enough" June thought to herself.

Later that evening as the group convened around the camp fire to talk about "the good 'ole days", Daryl sat off by himself in the bed of his pick up truck cleaning arrows and waxing his bow string. His blue eyes drifted over to Shane occasionally only to find that every time, Shane was already watching him. After about a half hour, Shane got up and walked over the beat up truck.

"You gotta problem Dixon?" Shane asked leaning against truck bed.

"Nope."Daryl replied not looking up.

"Then why have you been eyein' me for the last 30 minutes?"

"Just waitin' for you to explode is all."

"How 'bout I explode all over you, inbred faggot?" Shane sneered.

Daryl kept his temper in check and just ignored Shane's presence. When it was apparent that Daryl was not going to take Shane's bait, he stalked off to his own tent. Daryl watched the man stomp off until he was out of sight. June was sitting by the camp fire with the others and pretended not to watch the exchange between the two men. Three more hours.


	8. Chapter 8

June walked circles around the bed until her feet started to ache. Every few minutes her eyes would look up at the desk clock to see what time it was. Earlier that day, she traded her too large shirt for a blue t-shirt and a pair of pants that actually fit from Maggie. Herschel said that after tonight she should be ok and that she didn't have to sleep in the house. Actually, he made it sound like after tonight, she was no longer welcome in the house. June got the feeling that all of them were no longer welcome in his home. After tonight, she didn't know where she was going to sleep. She had no tent and she was wary about asking for a spot in one of the others. Finally, two o'clock came and June eased her way out the open window and scurried to the horse barn. At the very back, she could see a faint light coming from one of the stalls. June had a million questions for Daryl after last night and today. She walked into the stall and came upon Daryl sitting on a hay bail with his back to her.

"I told you he was fuckin' loco." Daryl said without turning around to look at her. June walked around the hay bail and sat down next to him uninvited.

"I'm sorry for not believing you. Carol told me about Otis." June said. She picked at the pieces of straw in the hay bail and waited for him to fill the awkward silence. She still didn't know what she thought about him or what he thought about her.

"Why were you drilling me last night?" She asked finally.

"I don't know. Thought it might help you to talk about your past since you talked about the shit with your grandparents."

"I never got to thank you for that either. If it weren't for you, I would probably still be up there in that cabin hidin' from my past."

"So ya don't hate me for killin' your brother?" He asked warily.

"Not at all. Ted should've died a long time ago. Two meth lab explosions, four car accidents, a concussion from falling out of a tree drunk and the end of the world couldn't take him down. I'm glad you did though."

Daryl looked down and gave a ghost of a smile.

"Are you…Are you smilin'? The always angry Daryl Dixon can smile? Be still my heart." June said playfully. At that, Daryl let out into a full fledged laugh. Now June was confused.

"What's so funny? What did I say?"

"I'm just rememberin' the funny shit you said to me in the Jeep." He pushed out between snickers.

"What did I say to you in the Jeep?" June asked seriously.

"Well, lets see. Ya told me I had a nice ass and I wasn't bad in bed and…oh, yeah ya spied on me down at the creek washin'." Daryl was laughing so hard now he could barely breathe. June watched him with sheer embarrassment written all over her face. When it didn't look as if he would quit laughing anytime soon, June shoved him off the hay bail in one forceful push and planted her feet where he once sat. Sitting on the ground, Daryl continued to guffaw until he had no more breath left.

"Are you finished?" She asked crossing her arms.

"Yeah, Im done. " He answered finally catching his breath.

They sat in silence for a few minutes just listening to the horses paw at the hay on the floor and the soft grunt every once in a while from the stallion in the stall next to them.

"June, there's been somethin' I've been meanin' to ask ya." Daryl said.

"What?" She asked, afraid of what the question might be.

"Do you wanna go back to the cabin?" He asked genuinely.

"I don't know. What do you think I should do?" She asked him as she stared at the grain in the wood on the slats.

"Don't matter what I think. Stick around or run back to the cabin. Don't matter much to me." Daryl said pick at the hem of his pants. June had learned how to read him now. It did matter to him, he just didn't want her to know how much it did.

"I guess I had better make up my mind soon either way cus the impression I got from Herschel is that after tonight I'll be sleepin' in here with the horses." June said with a sigh.

Daryl just grunted and went to back to picking at the seams of his pants. Figuring that the meeting was adjourned, June got up and made her way for the door when she stopped, turned around and gave Daryl a soft kiss on the top of his head. Daryl shifted uncomfortably but said nothing. June walked back to the house and climbed back into the bedroom through the window. As she was undressing in the bathroom, she heard the rustle of the bushed in front of the window. She quickly opened the bathroom door to find Daryl climbing through the window. June couldn't move, her feet were planted firmly on the wooden floor. She didn't know how he did it but Daryl scared her more than any walker ever did.

Daryl walked across the room to where she stood and put his hands on either side of her neck and kissed June with the same forcefulness he had back at the cabin. Daryl had a smell all his own; a mix of Georgia Pine, sweat and fresh dirt. June pulled Daryl's shirt over his head and touched the old scars that riddled his stomach, chest and back. Her knees almost buckled when he pressed himself against her hard. Daryl pushed June onto the bed unceremoniously and took off his pants and shoes. Daryl buried his face into June's hair as he drove into hard and without excuse. June let out little gasps of pleasure in between Daryl's grunts. The tension in her legs and arms was starting to build and it didn't look as if Daryl had any thought of stopping. Right before she thought she was about to climax, Daryl flipped her over onto her stomach and took her from behind. Their breathing was getting heavier and June was afraid that they would be heard by someone. All of a sudden, June had had enough of being controlled. She tackled Daryl onto the bed and took control of him for once. His eyes never left her face as they both climaxed. Daryl rolled over onto his side with his back to June as she laid down next to him. She stared up at the ceiling and waited for Daryl to speak. After what seemed like eternity, he finally did.

"I want you to stay."

June didn't know what to say that. She would never expect or want a proclamation of undying love from him, this was just as good though.

"Ok, I'll stay. But this doesn't mean that I like you Dixon."

"Good. 'Cus I hate your dumb ass."

June smiled a little bit and put her hand on top of Daryl's. He gave it a little squeeze before letting go and going to sleep.

The next morning, Daryl tried to creep out of the house unnoticed but he ran into Lori coming through the front door.

"Oh, Daryl. Where have you…" Lori trailed off noticing that he was more disheveled than usual. Daryl looked down and just grunted.

"Nevermind, Rick wants to talk to you."Lori said as Daryl shuffled past her.

Daryl walked outside and found Rick, Shane, Dale and Glenn standing next to Rick's car. Daryl made sure he stayed as far away from Shane as possible.

"Rick, Lori said you wanted to talk to me?" Daryl asked standing off from the rest of the group.

"Yeah, hold on a minute." Rick said as he finished talking.

Rick walked over to Daryl and pulled him to the side.

"We're running low on supplies and need to take a trip into town. You comin'?" He asked.

"Yeah I'll go."

"What's goin' on with June? Is she stayin' or goin'?" Rick asked.

"She's stayin'." Daryl replied.

"Ok, but I'm holdin' you responsible for her."

Daryl scoffed and toed the ground with his boot.

"I wanna go with y'all." A voice said from behind them. It was June.

"I don't think that's such a good idea. You just got back on your feet and all. I think it would best if you stayed here with the others." Rick said trying not to sound like a father.

"Listen, if I'm gonna stay with y'all I gotta prove my worth. I'm not the washin' clothes and cookin' meals type when somethin' needs to be done. I'm fast, I'm quiet and I can pick off a walker from 100 yards away. I'm going." She said with finality.

Rick looked to Daryl for some sort of aid but was met only with a shrug. Rick let out an exasperated breath and threw his hands up.

"Fine but you stick close to one of us. Daryl you're responsible for her." He reiterated again.

"I don't need anyone to take care of me Sheriff. I've done just fine on my own." June retorted just inches from his face. She stalked off to her Jeep and started rummaging around in the back seat. Rick looked at Daryl for some sort of explanation.

"She don't need anyone to take care of her." Daryl said before heading off to his truck.

The others began to prepare for the ride into town.


	9. Chapter 9

June sat quietly next to Daryl during the ride into town. The old Chevy spurted clouds of dark smoke and rattled from top to bottom like it hadn't had a tune up in 20 years. The caravan of cars wound its way through the masses of crashed and abandoned vehicles littering the highway. Someone had painted a message on an old Volvo that said, "Hell is on earth now." June shuddered at the scene laid out before her. Dead bodies sat motionless in their cars like statues covered in dust and cobwebs. The air was hot and the humidity was stifling. Daryl occasionally looked over at her just to make sure she was still there.

"You alright?" He asked.

"I'm fine. How much longer?"

"About 10 more minutes. "

The group stopped their cars about 3 miles outside of the small town. June felt the uneasiness overtake her as they climbed out of the truck and made their plans with the others.

"Ok, Daryl you take the hardware store and the auto parts store on Aberdeen. Grab anything you can think of. Shane, there's a firearm shop on Berry one block north of Main. June, you take the pharmacy across the street from Shane. I've got the grocery store on Lennox. We meet back here on Main street in 1 hour. Be quick and be quiet. And no going all Wyatt Earp and shooting up every walker you see. You know how things go. Daryl, Shane and I will have the walkies, so June, you stay within shouting distance of Shane." Rick said.

June toed a rock with her boot and stared at the ground. She was feeling a little uneasy and nauseous now that she was here. She cut her eyes over to Daryl as he cocked his crossbow. The group headed out into town and broke apart as they got closer to their appointed destinations. Daryl broke off first and gave her a long look and a nod before he set out for the hardware store. Rick put his hand on her shoulder reassuringly and headed towards Lennox street. Now it was just her and Shane.

"So are you and Dixon knockin' boots or just what?" Shane asked as they neared the corner of Berry and Lennox.

"It wouldn't be any of your damn business if we were."

"Well that's a yes if I ever heard one." Shane said with a self-satisfying smirk.

"Mind your own business asshole." June replied before crouching behind a car and going towards the pharmacy. There were only two walkers wandering the street and neither of them seemed to be in too good of shape. One of them was dragging broken legs and the other was missing an arm. June took a deep breath and kept low to the ground as she scurried into the pharmacy. Once inside, she stood completely still and listened for any walkers and scanned the store for any dormant walkers as well. She saw none. Once she had inspected the entire pharmacy, she began to load up the backpack and duffel that she brought. June grabbed anything that she thought might be useful. The store had been pretty picked over but she found a lot of items that were going to helpful. It's a good thing that they had sent her and not one of the men, she actually remembered things like tampons and deodorant.

Over at the firearms store across the street, Shane took down a crawler that was scooting around the back room. He began to grab whatever ammo was left behind the counter and frequently looked out the window for more walkers and to keep an eye on June. He was lucky enough to find a stash of Berettas and revolvers behind a cabinet and stuffed them into the duffel. A crackle of static came over the walkie that made Shane jump a little.

"Shane, come in, over." It was Rick.

"Yeah?"

"How goes it?"

"Found a few boxes of shotgun rounds, 6 boxes of 9 mils and 10 boxes of .44. 4 Berettas and 3 revolvers too."

"Good, any walkers?"

"Just a crawler but I took care of it."

"How's our girl?"

"She's good. I can see her from across the street. Still don't think it was a good idea to bring her."

"Don't start. Ya got 15 minutes left."

"10-4"

The walkie went silent again and Shane continued to rummage around for anything of use. He found a couple of boxes of .22 rounds and was about to stuff them into the bag when the walkie crackled again.

"Walsh."

It was Daryl.

"What do you want Dixon?"

"If anything happens to her I'm gonna split you in two with an axe and feed you to the first walker I find."

"Aint nothin' gonna happen to your party favor Dixon. I got eyes on her."

"Keep your eyes in your head and your hands to yourself asswipe."

Shane chuckled and glanced across the street again to where June was.

"Sounds like your sweet on her Dixon. I wouldn't have pegged you for a ladies man. I thought you swung the other way."

"Guys, keep the radio talk to a minimum."Rick broke in.

June continued to make her way through the pharmacy when she found a half empty pack of cigarettes someone must have dropped. She smiled and put the box in her pocket. She looked at the still ticking clock on the wall and made her way to the front of the store when she heard a groan come from behind her. June slowly turned and came face to face with a half decapitated walker and froze. The creature reached out to grab her but she ducked and scrambled to get away from it. The walker staggered towards her when she let out a yell for anyone nearby to hear. Shane was in the back room of the firearms store and didn't hear her.

Daryl was taking down a walker on his way back to Main street when he heard June scream. He raced up Lennox and walkied Rick.

"Rick!" He screamed.

"I know I heard it. I'm on my way too."

"Shane where the hell are you?" Rick yelled into the walkie.

There was silence from Shane's walkie. He had left it sitting on the counter in the front of the store.

June continued to try to fight off the walker just using the butt of her shotgun. The creature was freshly turned, he was quicker and stronger than the older ones. June couldn't get far enough away to get a clean headshot. Every time she tried to back up the walker got closer. When she finally got far enough away to take a shot, her foot slipped on a medicine bottle and made her miss her shot, pitching her gun into the air. June's feet went out from underneath her and she fell on her back. The walker lunged for her and bit into her thigh with the force of a great white shark. June screamed but knew that this was the end for her. Daryl and Rick raced around the corner onto Berry and took down the walkers in the street. Rick yelled for Shane as he passed the firearms store. Shane whipped his head around and looked at the walkie sitting on the counter. "Oh, Christ." He said as he sprinted out of the store.

Daryl busted into the pharmacy and put an arrow through the walkers head that was still locked onto June's leg. The walker fell on top of a still screaming June as Daryl rushed over and pushed the geek off of her. Blood was gushing out of the wound on her leg and he crouched down next to her to look at it. Shane and Rick rushed in seconds later and came to a screeching halt. They stared at the scene set out before them. Daryl didn't know what to do.

June laid silently on the floor staring up at the ceiling trying to cope with the fact that she would soon be dead. Not undead, but completely dead. Daryl looked down at her and hesitantly put his hand on hers. He knew that she couldn't make it through this. He knew what had to be done. He looked at the shotgun laying on the ground next to her amidst the medicine bottles and trash. He reached his hand out to pick it up when she stopped him.

"Wait." She said. He pulled his hand back and she reached into her pocket for her 9 mm. She cocked it and switched the safety off and looked at him. Neither of them needed to say anything. Daryl grabbed June's free hand and held it tight. She looked at him as she placed the gun to her temple.

"Thank you for saving me." She said before pulling the trigger. The blast made the three men shudder and there was silence again. Daryl placed his hand over June's still open eyes and closed them. He continued to look at her now lifeless form and silently wished that she was still breathing. Daryl gently picked up June's body and threw her over his shoulder, making his way for the door.

"Daryl I…" Rick stammered as he walked past and out onto the street. Daryl ignored him and made his way to his truck. Rick and Shane stared at each other as Daryl walked away.

"Rick, I didn't hear her." Shane tried to explain.

"Save it. He deserves an explanation, not me."

Daryl laid June gently in the trucked bed and spread a blanket over her. He raced out onto the interstate and headed towards the mountain where June's cabin was. He tried to hold back the tears that were making fighting to get out. He was losing horribly. He slowly made his way up the mountain through the trees until he found the cabin. Throwing the truck into park, Daryl jumped out of the cab and went into the barn. Grabbing a shovel, he threw it in the seat next to him and headed down to the creek. He stopped at the old oak tree where he had spied on her bathing and began to dig furiously. Tears were still falling down his face as he dug the grave. The woods were silent and the sun was beginning to set. When he was finished digging, he picked June's body up and laid it gently into the ground before looking at her once vibrant face again. He fingered a strand of her red hair for a moment before bending down and kissing her lightly on the forehead. He climbed out of the hole and started to fill the hole back in. Every shovelful got heavier and heavier and became more difficult to drop on top of her. When he finally finished the job, he sat down in the truck bed and stared at the grave before him. He sat silently for awhile until he got up and pulled his buck knife out. He walked up to the oak tree and began to carve something in the bark, making it deep so that it would never go away completely.

June Carter Mason

D. 7/21/2012

She was important to me

He stood back and looked at the epitaph that he had carved into the tree towering above her. He put his hand on the tree and turned to go back to the truck and back down the mountain. This time, he drove a little slower and took the long way down.


End file.
